The HDP members detained in Mersin during an "anti-terror operation" by the Turkish police and gendarmerie last week have been released for the time being. A court in the southern Turkish coastal metropolis rejected a request by the public prosecutor's office for pre-trial detention on Saturday evening, as has since become known, but imposed “judicial control”, as a so-called "preventive measure". The mechanism is considered an alternative to detention and is used excessively by the Turkish judiciary to keep unwelcome people under control. The basis is the law on "release under control", which came into force in 2013.

The elaborately staged "operation" in Mersin, which was accompanied by Turkish state media, took place last Wednesday. Masked special forces broke into several flats in different districts of the province and carried out raids. As a result, a total of nine people were taken into custody, including senior and leading members of the HDP in the Toroslar, Akdeniz and Yenişehir districts.

The detention of HDP members is based on the charge of "propaganda for and membership in a terrorist organisation", which the Mersin public prosecutor's office has raised. The alleged participation in funerals and mourning ceremonies for fallen guerrillas is apparently used as a basis, according to the HDP. In one case, the accusations are related to the so-called "Kobanê trial" in Ankara. There is currently no information on whether and when charges will be brought in Mersin. Until a decision is made to the contrary, those affected must now regularly appear before the authorities and are not allowed to leave the city.